The invention relates generally to the field of computers and, more particularly, to the development of software that runs on portable computers.
In many portable and laptop computers available today, connector ports for peripherals and other devices are available on the rear, side, or bottom surfaces of the computer. In addition to enabling the quick connection and disconnection of peripherals that operate in conjunction with the portable or laptop computer, these connector ports can also be used to debug the drivers and the operating system that enable the computer to communicate with the peripherals. The capability to perform the debugging of drivers has been due, at least in part, to the use of particular types of connectors that are intended for use with particular types of devices. These are sometimes referred to as “legacy” connectors.
However, as portable and laptop computers move away from the use of legacy connectors in favor of legacy-free connections, such as universal serial bus (USB), the ability to perform device driver debugging operations using the legacy connector is reduced. This is primarily due to the increased complexity of the legacy-free drivers. Further, in the event that a developer is attempting to debug a portion of the computer's operating system, it is likely that the computer's USB communication capability is degraded. Consequently, without a fully functioning operating system, it may be necessary for the developer to break into the computer's case in order to access an internal bus structure so that debugging operations can be performed.
Therefore, it is highly desirable for a method for device driver and operating system debugging that does not require the developer to invade the computer's case in order to access the computer's internal bus structure.